Cast all your cares upon him for he cares for you
1 Peter 5:7
What does it mean to cast your cares on God? This may be a simple question that receives a straightforward answer, that is to give your concerns to him. Fair enough, but how do we in reality lay our burdens on the shoulders of the Lord and leave them there? This verse echos Jesus’ invitation to the heavy laden in Matthew 11:28-30 to come to him with the cares, fears and sin burdening the soul, for in him you will find the rest you are seeking. His invitation as echoed in this verse calls to our anxious hearts to cast or throw off and throw away our concerns, fears and worries from ourselves. Yet, wonderfully, this invitation goes further than this and calls us to throw all our care, fears, worries and burdens onto the shoulders of our loving saviour and God our Father.
For, this verse offers more for the reader to rejoice and find wonder in when you consider the realities of the second half of the verse: “…for He [God] cares for you.” Think about what that means. Why are we encouraged to throw our cares on the shoulders of our God and lay our burdens at the feet of Christ? It is because God cares for you and me. He does not say that he cares about us as that would weaken the reality of how God cares for us and imply a passivity in how he cares for us. No it clearly proclaims that we can throw our cares on the Lord because he cares for us. His care is active and all-encompassing that sets perfect plans into motion for our lives; that makes all things work together for good, a care that meets us in our brokenness and deepest trouble; who supplies strength in our weakness and offers arms underneath us when we cannot venture any further.
If you have been doubting the reliability of God to carry and take care of your burdens as i know i can sometimes do, look back again to the cross. To witness the reality of how God actively cares for us most starkly, behold once again the enoughness of Christ and the finished work of salvation and acceptance that his death and resurrection has brought for us. See the divine exchange that took place and picture the divine nail scarred hand of Jesus reaching out to you to draw you out of your darkness, brokenness and bondage and offering in exchange to clothe you and me with royal garments of joy; of forgiveness and acceptance that we do not deserve but which the heart of the giver earnestly wants to bestow on us. In place of shame, love and acceptance reign in the presence of God; in place of an orphaned spirit and mindset we are given the spirit of adoption as beloved sons and daughters of God as our Father and in place of hopelessness is a hope that does not disappoint us nor put us to shame (See Romans 5:5-8).
When we therefore reflect on how God cares for us and that His care does not fluctuate as ours does for him but remains the same yesterday, today and forever, let us boldly entrust our loving Heavenly Father God and wonderful saviour Jesus Christ with our our fears, cares and burdens on a daily basis because His care for us is constant, steadfast, active and underpinned with perfect wisdom, power and most significantly perfect love for us personally.
What a glorious truth we can take hold firmly, that God really does care actively, faithfully and constantly for you and me. Praise Him for His divine heart of unfailing, unflinching, gracious love. He truly is worthy of our praise. Amen.
© 2023, Benjamin Trowbridge.
Abba's Dearly Beloved 